Needles and suture are used throughout the healthcare industry for indications such as wound and incision closure, securing catheters, and affixing implantable meshes, and other medical apparatus. Because needles represent injury and illness risks to the user, there is a need to make needle usage safer without sacrificing ease of use, performance, and cost. A medical device that can be used to safely suture the tissue of a patient is valuable and appealing to physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, military personnel, and other clinical and non-clinical users of suture. As described herein, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of conventional suturing devices and provides a device that has a number of mechanisms that not only shield the needle during operation but also provide a needle shuttling action to ensure effective and complete suturing.